The 2004 NBA Draft was a success as The Portland Trail Blazers acquired Guard Sebastian Telfair (13th Pick), Forward Viktor Khryapa (22nd Pick), Forward Sergei Monia (23rd Pick) and Center Ha Seung-Jin (46th Pick).

The Portland Trail Blazers held a news conference at the Trail Blazers Practice Facility June 28, 2004 to introduce the four players the team acquired in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Telfair a 6-foot guard from Abraham Lincoln H.S. (NY), Khyrapa a 6-foot-9 forward from CSKA Moscow (Russia), Monia a 6-foot-8 forward from CSKA Moscow (Russia), and Ha Seung Jin a Center from Yonsei University (South Korea) arrived in Portland and had their first
press conference with the Trail Blazers.

After the press conference the four players met with local children on the patio at the Practice Facility. With the weather in full summer mode the event was supplied with ice cream and popcicles. The children selected for the event through their involvement in Bridge Builders and IRCO.

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IRCO
Services available through IRCO include the IRCO Youth and Family Center located in outer NE Portland, the Asian Family Center, the International Language Bank, employment programs, community education, health & environmental outreach services and arts for new immigrants program. Program representation includes the Russian, Ukrainian and Korean communities.

Bridge Builders
Bridge Builders is a Portland-based organization that works exclusively with African American young men. The program has created national attention for their mission and successes in working with African American boys and walking with them through their transition to young men. The Bridge Builder program is credited for significantly raising the percentage of African American youth attending college and assists 250 middle and high school adolescents focusing on four areas: spirituality, scholarship, entrepreneurship and community building. They hold very high expectations for participants that they will live by a strict code of conduct and strive for excellence.